


A Chance at Loaves

by Ealasaid, writeyourownstory



Series: Hallmark Channel [4]
Category: 1917 (Movie 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Online Dating, Baker!Tom, Blakefield, Developing Relationship, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Hallmark AU, Happy Ending, M/M, Miscommunication, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, chatfic, photographer!Will, widower!Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27579302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ealasaid/pseuds/Ealasaid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyourownstory/pseuds/writeyourownstory
Summary: Blakefield rewrite of the Hallmark movie "A Chance At Love," in which Tom is a baker who has met handsome photographer Will Schofield through online dating!. . . well, actually, Tom meets Will Schofield's daughters, who are pretending to be him.
Relationships: Tom Blake/William Schofield, past William Schofield/William Schofield's Wife
Series: Hallmark Channel [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988683
Kudos: 8





	A Chance at Loaves

**Author's Note:**

> originally brainstormed 9/6/2020!
> 
> [Ellie = Will's deceased wife  
> Tenny = Hortensia, Will's elder daughter  
> Callie = Calpurnia, Will's younger daughter]

**butler is boo:** Oooooooo  
Ok this one:  
This woman is having a relationship with a guy online—she’s so head over heals, she wants to meet him (think like, Farmers only or Christian mingle)  
BUT  
It’s actually this guy’s _son_ , pretending to be his dad cause he thinks what his dad needs to be happy is a woman in his life so he plays matchmaker  
So she gets a plane ticket and flies down to...idk, Texas? To this beautiful ranch house and that’s when the whole shebang is revealed.

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oh my goodness

 **butler is boo:** She is _embarrassed_ —not only cause she fell for it but because the guy she thought she was meeting is actually kind of an asshole (just standoffish really)  
And the kid is so guilty like, he was only trying to help  
But she’s forced to stay there because of flooding? Idk I missed that part, but point is, she’s trapped there and has to make it with the guy, his kid, and his parents who live nearby and are super sweet  
And she’s like, a professional baker? Idk  
And the _guy_ is apparently a famous photographer (who favorite, what a coincidence 🙄😂) and begins to use her as a muse or some shit and they start to fall for one another  
Very kooky start to this 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** what happened to the guy's old wife?

 **butler is boo:** Died probably  
They’re always widows on this channel

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** okay so this is one of my favorite tropes and I can see this going so many ways  
but  
we promised Blakefield

 **butler is boo:** 👀  
Yes we did

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and I'm feeling that the most strongly anyway so

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 **butler is boo:** 🙌🙌🙌  
Let's begin

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will is the photographer/widower

 **butler is boo:** Oh yes def

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** twin daughters who conspire to get him with someone new

 **butler is boo:** _yes_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Tom as the up-and-coming young baker  
😏

 **butler is boo:** Who goes on a dating website cause he’s tried the dating thing in real time but it just doesn’t seem to work out and joe suggested it and maybe it could work out

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** besides, as a baker, he has weird hours anyway  
so online is easier -- it's just more convenient  
and anyway, this guy seems really nice!  
Tom's not sure about the two teenage daughters bit, but he's used to all the teen interns at the bakery and it can't be _that_ different

 **butler is boo:** Oooooo yes

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and like, he's just _visiting_ . . . and the girls are supposed to be doing summer jobs or something anyway

 **butler is boo:** And it’s only supposed to be for a few days, just to meet one another

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** ^^  
. . . . . . .  
let's make this somewhere up north  
where they get legitimately snowed in

 **butler is boo:** Yes let’s  
Way more plausible

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** ^^^  
So Tom gets out there and is a little surprised that it's one of the twins who is picking him up?  
but she's very pleasant and clearly very intelligent and she manages a credible small talk conversation  
so in no time at all he's joking with her and like. still a bit awkward bc she's a teenager and Tom's like, 26  
but not horrible, certainly  
(we'll say this is Callie)

 **butler is boo:** (YES)  
So how old is Will in this AU? If Tom’s 26?

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** well, if he's got twin daughters who are old enough to drive (and who are, I'm thinking, probably closer to 17-18)   
Will is at least a decade older

 **butler is boo:** Yes that’s what I was thinking

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** maybe he and his wife were high school sweethearts and got married as soon as they graduated?

 **butler is boo:** Oh yes definitely! Got married then had kids young

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so . . . 35-39?  
somewhere  
we'll say 36

 **butler is boo:** Yes that sounds good

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** so they get to this house and it's actually really nice! like _really_ nice  
so at least this guy wasn't lying about how successful he was with his photography  
and Tom's like, not judging or anything, but that bodes well, y'know?  
and they go inside and Callie's all "so yeah, welcome to the house!" and then Will walks in  
and Tom's like "oh _boy_ he's even better than the photographs"  
but  
something is wrong  
cuz Will just gives him this blank look and clearly does _not_ know who Tom is  
is like . . . "Callie, who is this?"

 **butler is boo:** _oooooh snap_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Callie is like "UH" and Tom is like 😶  
and Will goes "Callie" with this warning tone  
(Tenny comes in behind him and freezes and she and Callie shoot each other looks)  
and Tom is just like _what the actual fuck_

 **butler is boo:** (Oh this is _so_ parent trap omg 😂)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (right?? hahaha)  
(Callie is the one who came up with the idea and Tenny didn't agree with it but she did help make it all plausible)  
(and now they are Committed)  
Callie's like "uhhh dad, this is Tom! Tom Blake! he's a baker!"

 **butler is boo:** ( **👏** nice save nice save)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Tom just looks between her and Tenny and Will and is like _you've got to be fucking kidding me  
_like?? he knows online dating is a bit hit or miss but???

 **butler is boo:** Tom: _was I Catfished by two teenagers?_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** ^^^  
So Tom's all "I think there's been some mistake"  
and Will has twigged on to the fact that his daughters are Up To Something  
and even if he doesn't know Tom, it's pretty clear Tom is not In On It  
which means they duped not just Will, but some poor bloke who went from hopeful excitement to dismay to ~~the tiniest flash of hurt~~ covering it all up as much as possible

 **butler is boo:** And I have a feeling will won’t be as much of an asshole as this dude on hallmark seriously

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oh gosh no, Will is going to be super polite about everything  
which is standoffish in its own way! but y'know  
So Tom is rapidly just cursing his luck and also feeling really let down and starting to think he should leave -- but he doesn't have anywhere to go or any way to get there, he'll have to call a taxi --  
and Will's like "you know what? I don't know what's happening but let's have a cup of tea -- stay until we sort this out, Mr Blake"

 **butler is boo:** _such a sweetie_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Callie and Tenny are creeping towards the door and Will's like _"Girls"_ and they are like 😅  
so they all go into the kitchen and Tenny is helping get tea out and Callie is perched on a stool at the counter and chattering away with Tom but Tom's all like "uh" and stuff bc um. weird? (Callie's doing it from nerves and trying really hard to show how sweet Tom is but uh yeah it's not working)

 **butler is boo:** 🥺🥺🥺🥺  
I’m assuming Callie is the one who talked to Tom the most online?

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** oh yeah  
_oh_ yeah  
so  
what follows is possibly the most excruciatingly painful hour of Tom's life

 **butler is boo:** _bless him_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** where, when the tea is ready and there are snacks and stuff, Will sits down and Tenny sits down and Will pulls the whole story out of the twins  
and Tom just sits there like "my god this is so embarrassing" and the worst of it is  
when Callie bursts out with "we were just trying to find you someone so you wouldn't be so lonely anymore!" Will just _looks_ at her and then  
he looks at Tom and he's so clearly incredulous as he looks Tom over

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Tom _knows_ he's not, like, twink le twink or anything but by god, this is all fucking muscle, thank you very much  
and it's honestly kind of humiliating?  
\-- and then in the next moment he realises it's probably because Will just wasn't even thinking about Tom as a potential romantic partner and it was more of like a reevaluating look and he probably didn't mean anything by it, but _still  
_so he's just feeling more and more miserable and also getting a bit prickly over it bc goodness. Tom's been taken advantage of before and this is just like. _how did he fall for something like this  
_and the WORST OF IT ALL  
is that WILL  
IS SO OBVIOUSLY  
FUCKING  
ATTRACTIVE AS SHIT  
AND ALSO OBVIOUSLY LIKE A GOOD DAD  
AND _NICE_

 **butler is boo:**

**Lt. Richards is bae:** and holy _shit_ this is _not fair_  
but Tom puts his best face on and aims for politely bewildered  
(he'd be cracking more jokes, but he's a little too bitter for that rn)  
and anyway everything comes out and Will's like clearly just  
not prepared for this at all  
and Tom's tentative hopes are like just shattered and he's like "I'm literally that meme of that dog drinking tea in a room that's on fire"  
and Will is like "right girls. Go to your rooms, please"  
ushers them out of the room and talks to them for a moment in the hall and Tom's just like "god where the hell is the booze"  
(Will tells them "I need to talk with Mr Blake _privately,_ and while I'm doing that, you two can think up a suitable apology for leading him on like this.")

 **butler is boo:** Gosh poor Tom

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand POV switch

 **butler is boo:** FLIP THAT SWITCH

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Will comes back in and he just sees this poor bloke sitting at the table and internally is like " _wow_ this is kind of fucked up?"  
This guy is -- not bad looking? Will guesses? and mostly Will just feels really, really bad for him bc this guy flew all the way out here expecting this relationship to exist but it didn't and wow.  
_what a mess_

 **butler is boo:** (Where's the booze)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Mr Blake is clearly putting on his best face because he's like "I'm really sorry about this. I'll find somewhere in town to stay, don't worry" and trying so hard to be polite despite the fact that he is _obviously_ hurt

 **butler is boo:** 🥺🥺🥺

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Will's like "okay first of all, no -- we have a room upstairs, you can stay with us until you fly back out, it's the least I can do"  
"secondly, you don't need to apologize -- I'm the one who should be doing that. Callie is, well, headstrong . . ."

 **butler is boo:** (Already WAY better than the guy in this shitty movie)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and it's wow, so awkward!!!! SO AWKWARD!!!

 **butler is boo:** (Yes yessssss let the awkward FLOW)  
But Tom accepts and Will leads him to the guest room

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** YES  
okay but before that  
the last part of the conversation is like they're just  
awkward silence  
and Will just is like "fuck it, I need one and he probably needs one" and pulls out some bourbon and is like "you want a drink?"  
and Mr Blake is like "god, yes"  
so then they have hot toddies

 **butler is boo:** 🙌 there's the booze!

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** a nice healthy tipple lol  
so they have a drink and it makes it a little easier to chat and Mr Blake relaxes a bit  
and Will finds out he is indeed a baker  
and very successful at it

 **butler is boo:** 😏

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and then Blake cracks some sort of joke (too lazy to think of the dialogue of this convo) and Will snorts bc it's hilarious and Blake grins and that's it, the ice is broken a bit more  
so they chat a while and by the end of it like, at least they're not complete strangers?  
so Will repeats his offer of the room and Blake accepts and that's sort of it for that day

 **butler is boo:** Ooooo yes! Amiable at least

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** YEP  
Day 2: Will is busy that day because he has some project deadlines, and has to excuse himself to go work in his office/studio thing. Tom ends up taking over the kitchen and stress-bakes, insisting that he would've done this anyway -- Tenny ends up helping him and they hit it off genuinely (Callie is still sulking in her room bc she's working up to apologizing)  
Will re-emerges to the sounds of Tom and Tenny laughing uproariously over something and like five loaves of fresh bread and three dozen cookies and now there are some scones in the oven

 **butler is boo:** (Oh sweet Callie 😂)  
And he is just bewildered (he didn’t know they had that many ingredients to bake anything)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** YES  
and see, it's part of Tom's secret plan  
(well. it's not so much of a plan as like  
he's kind of just scrambling for a thing)  
because, uh  
y'know, with 12 hours worth of distance  
like yeah, this is _so_ not what Tom hoped for  
BUT  
Will -- er, Mr Schofield -- is really nice? and like genuinely a kind person and Tom's trying real hard not to read into it too much  
like . . . if Schofield didn't know, then there's a good chance he's also not into blokes . . . but like, Callie wouldn't have gone to the trouble to set up that online account if he _wasn't,_ right?  
so Tom's like "I might as well make the best of it and this was supposed to just be a weekend of getting to know each other, too"

 **butler is boo:** (So commences the _wooing)_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (the _very subtle_ wooing!)

 **butler is boo:** (Oh yes obviously)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** So Tom just tries to be as normal as possible and that means he's got to bake something, omfg  
he can't just sit on his arse and he's _good_ at baking  
and Tenny's like 👀 and they get to talking and the next thing Tom knows, he's teaching this 17-year-old all these tips and tricks about bread  
they go to the grocery store and get more ingredients and have _plans_ for a cake  
and Tom actually almost forgets why he's doing this  
right up until Will comes into the kitchen with like this _intent look_  
where's he's like "oh my god I've been smelling this all morning what are you guys _doing"_  
and Tom makes him try everything (Tenny backs him up)

 **butler is boo:** YESSSSS

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and then they send him back off to work and get started on that cake  
🤔  
you know, I can't come up with any real drama honestly  
all the angst was in that initial awkward meeting 😂

 **butler is boo:** (Well in the movie the guy has a photography like, person who handles his business? Idk who is like in love with him and tries to get between him and the girl)

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** (eh)  
(I hate love triangles)

 **butler is boo:** (Same she was a bitch)  
Honestly this could be a lovely fluffy one with the way it’s going!  
That, or Will is having trouble moving on from his wife and that’s what makes him so hesitant to start dating again

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** mmmmm  
no  
she died like ten years ago, maybe?  
so he's just like  
been so busy with work and raising his girls he hasn't really bothered to date anyone  
and like, other women weren't so interesting to him and who wants to marry a guy with twin daughters already, y'know?  
so now that Tom's here he's like 😳  
(but Will's also sort of oblivious so he's like not even aware he's like 😳)

 **butler is boo:** YES **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** okay! I got it  
so Day 3 is Tom's last day  
he's supposed to fly out the next morning  
but Day 2 is just lovely. Like  
by the evening Will has delicious cake (Tenny secretly got Tom to make Will's favorite) and the three of them have a lovely dinner and it's great  
(Callie, btw, is _still_ in her room bc she still hasn't apologized)  
(She and Will get into a shouting match through the door that Tom only vaguely overhears)  
and he and Tom are on first-name basis now and goodness, when that man smiles --  
and Will is like starting to get a clue and is like realising he's 😳  
so . . . maybe he is a bit flirtatious . . .  
or just more aware or something  
but there's a point where Tom _definitely_ wants to kiss him and Will is _definitely_ thinking about letting him but then Callie marches out and is like "FINE I'M SORRY" and ruins the moment and stomps back to her room (and Tenny, in the background, texts her twin and is like "YOU RUINED IT")

 **butler is boo:** OMG **👏** 😂

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** Day 3? _the storm hits_

 **butler is boo:** _yes_ ❄️

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and the drama is this:  
Callie left for town without telling anyone about it and is not at home when the blizzard hits

 **butler is boo:** 😱

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** but now she's stuck on the road because it's snowing way too much and too hard and calls home pretty frantically just like "I'm stuck, I don't know what to do?"  
something something _knows nothing about snowstorms or blizzards beyond reading like, one Babysitter's Club book_

 **butler is boo:** 😂  
Let’s say her car gets stuck and she doesn’t have like kitty litter or something to get her tires out

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** SURE  
anyway, Will & Tom work together to get Callie home  
and it's maybe a _little_ tense  
maybe this is how Ellie died way back in the day  
but it was a decade ago and Will can keep it together  
and he does! and they get Callie home and Callie sincerely apologises and they have a nice family dinner  
and in the morning they're snowed in pretty badly  
flights are grounded  
so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **butler is boo:** And Tom is _stuck_ 😏

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 😏  
OH BOY IS HE  
and he's like WELP  
SIGN FROM GOD IF I EVER SAW ONE

 **butler is boo:** **👏** **👏** **👏**

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** is outrageously cheerful bc both twins are like moping a bit bc now he's missing work  
so he goes out of his way to cheer them up and eventually they all wind up in the kitchen baking and chatting

 **butler is boo:** Ooooo yes!  
And Will joins in this time, even tho he is not good at baking _at all_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** EXACTLY  
when the power goes out (it's a gas stove, though) Will joins them and they light a bunch of candles and stuff

 **butler is boo:** _(yesssss)_

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and just keep going with the baking and end up having a marvelous afternoon eating the ice cream with leftover cake and pulling out whatever the hell it is Tom's baking this time  
like basically that family scene in Marrowbone but with Will and Tom and the twins and not hallucinations

 **butler is boo:** 😭 YES  
Oh yes so wholesome

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and by the end of the evening Tom happens to look up  
and sees Will is watching him very thoughtfully  
and he _smiles_  
and Tom just. _knows_  
and inwardly he's like _FUCK YES_  
but also wow! what are these butterflies in his stomach, oh boy  
😳

 **butler is boo:** 😆😆😆😆😆

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** but  
neither of them does anything  
not for the next two days that Tom is snowed in with them  
bc now they're both sorta like  
shy  
it's just like they're definitely flirting ~~very~~ ~~subtly~~  
Callie and Tenny play it cool but they're also creeping around like 🍿👀

 **butler is boo:** YES!!

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** but nope! nope nope nope Tom and Will just sort of hover  
bc Will's like "wow, uh. ???"  
and Tom's like "I came here to get to know him not _fall in love with him"_  
but finally  
at the airport  
(which all three of them have driven him to)  
Will's like casually "so . . . come visit us again sometime?"  
and Tom's like 😳  "Yeah, alright"

 **butler is boo:** 😆😆😆😆

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** and Will hesitates a moment but then kisses his cheek goodbye and shoos him onto the plane and Tom's like *////////*  
and that's the end of the movie!  
(the sequel is them calling each other every other day and video-chatting and 😏)

 **butler is boo:** YESSSSSS  
Oh bless that was adorable!

 **Lt. Richards is bae:** 😂

**Author's Note:**

>  **butler is boo:** But just imagining them snowed in and the girls asleep and they have a fireplace going and Tom and Will bonding over the firelight just 🥰


End file.
